A PATIENT is suing one of America's top plastic surgeons after he woke up to find the doctor had cut off his nose.
Vishal Thakkar treated himself to a cosmetic nose job after his divorce - but ended up having at least ten more operations after he claims he was left with problems each time.
Following the last op he was stunned to discover the surgeon had sliced off his nose entirely while he was asleep.
He has now launched legal action against Dr Angelo Cuzalina, a former president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery and the current president of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. Mr Thakkar first went under Dr Cuzalina's scalpel in 2006, but had to go back for a minor fix after he suffered breathing problems.
He claims during a later op the surgeon removed cartilage from behind his ear to put in his nose - even after he specifially refused permission.
He told a TV station in Tulsa, Oklahoma: "I woke up with pain behind my ear and I said to the nurses: 'What part of 'Under no circumstances do not touch my ears', do you not understand?' "
Mr Thakkar says Dr Cuzalina emailed him to apologise. He claims the surgeon later cut into his ribcage - again without permission - after running out of cartilage to take from his ears.
But he decided to sue after his final op in 2011 when he claims the doc cut off his whole nose.
He said: "He told me that there was an infection in there and since I was on the operating table and unconscious he had to make the decision.
"By the time I am able to breathe without pain and have a human-looking nose, I will have had 30 surgeries on my face thanks to Angelo Cuzalina.
"There is no way I am going to live like this. It is worse than being dead. "Other surgeons told me that, 'Vishal, your case is so bad it is unheard of, you must be treated by someone at the top of this field' �
Dr Angelino's lawyer told the channel he could not comment because of doctor-patient confidentiality.
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